From a different perspective
by Crystale no otaku
Summary: The story, as seen from Nazuna's eyes. Contains heavy spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: well, I didn't think I'd really end up writing fanfiction anytime soon. And how better a start than my favorite manga? I absolutely love RoFV, fell in love with it when I started reading it and as I got to read the story of those amazing characters as more and more volumes came out, it became my favorite. Kyou Shirodaira is soooo my idol. I own Spiral ~ Bonds of Reasoning, Vampire Juuji Kai and Zetsuen no Tempest, the latter I finished just last month (France has licensed the manga, as opposed to the US, which is why I have read it). Too bad Spiral Alive isn't licensed in France or US, and that the scantrads are slow._

_Anyway this has been in my head for at least several months, possibly more than that. I was reading the manga for the nth time when I decided it was time. I'm off work because I fell sick last week and had to be hospitalized, so I have time on my hands, time I can't use to do anything tedious since I'm not fully healed yet. Good thing for you I own the English mangas, so I can quote the dialogues accordingly (because only a handful of my collection is in English, the rest is in French)._

_So, this is the story as seen from Nazuna's eyes. Of course, this is more of a prologue than anything. I can't start in the middle without doing a proper introduction, it's not my way of doing things. I've always found her and Li's situation kinda special. They're not present at most of the explanations, yet they seem to know some things. This is my view on things. Of course, I'm gonna invent things and add scenes. Can't avoid that, but this is why it's called fanfiction. I've still tried to be as accurate as I can. On that note, I'll stop annoying you and go on with the story._

**Disclaimer:** Vampire Juuji Kai (Record of a Fallen Vampire) is owned by Kyou Shirodaira (scenario) and Yuri Kimura (art). Japanese rights are to Square Enix, and English translation and dialogues (in future chapters) are Viz Media's. The only thing I own is my set of the 9 volumes of the manga.

**Chapter 01**

**~Nazuna~**

Hagi Nazuna – or Nazuna Hagi, as she has grown used to say for having been out of Japan for so long – was an energetic little girl who grew up to become an energetic woman. As a child, her parents were constantly rebuked by her direct way of speaking and seemingly lack of tact. Fortunately, her fiercely intelligent mind worked to appease them.

Space always fascinated her, from the first steps on the moon to the discoveries of new planets. Since childhood, she dreamed of going into space and explore herself the limitless night sky. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, as she discovered soon enough that she didn't meet the necessary requirements. For starters, she wasn't physically fit enough. And she had to admit her piloting skills weren't that exceptional. But mostly, she was apparently too easily bored and not serious enough – what was with those old farts, anyway? If they didn't like hearing truths, then they just had to go work in politics. They certainly wouldn't hear any there.

Still not deterred in the least, she let her passion – obsession, as her friends used to say – guide her to the states after high school, where she entered a famous university. She studied astronautics, spacecraft design, engineering, and since she couldn't go into space herself, she decided she'd also train future astronauts, so she took that as well.

She was good on her way. She lacked experience, but made up with that in skills – and the people she worked with seemed to admire the wits of that 'slip of a woman' as they put it.

It was then she was approached by people in suits and sunglasses – can you be less cliché? – for a top-secret project that she'd know the details of only once she accepted. It was a bit fishy, but it was also very well-paid, long-term, and would provide her with the experience she needed to launch her career to even more heights. Plus, she was very curious, and curiosity has always been a trait she had been hard pressed to ignore. So she accepted.

Nazuna always thought of herself as having an open mind. Even then, when she was first told to help build a manned rocket, powerful enough to reach an alien ship hiding behind the moon, she couldn't help being skeptic. In fact, she outright asked them if they weren't loony.

That could've gone worse, she decided some time later. They respected her talents enough to try to convince her. Or maybe now that she was told – and already signed the contract – they wouldn't allow her to go away. She concluded she didn't care to find out.

Besides, it's not like she'd made the worse reaction. A four-eyed Asian like her nearly had a panic attack.

He kinda reminded her of her little brother, she decided. A little on the cute side, too nerdy, a real wimp, but adorable in his own way. So she decided to take him under her wing. The poor sap was still trying to deny what he was told. She gave him a good pat on the shoulder – she thought he exaggerated the cough. Really, she wasn't that strong – and lifted his spirits. Tried, at least. If she dared say so herself, she thought she did a fine job out of it.

Thus, the job began. The scandalous budget made up for exciting work, but it was still hard being cooped up on the island, with no way of communicating to the outside world. She left her hometown years ago to pursue her dream, so it wasn't like she particularly missed her family, but the newness of all her new co-workers soon wore off and she found herself wanting to meet new people, watch the news, have a good party and discuss stupid things. Instead, she found herself talking about nothing more than mechanics, spacecraft, and battle space suits that couldn't have been designed for humans.

On the bright side, her assigned partner, the Chinese four-eyes she learned was named Honhuei Li, was incredibly fun to tease. He was so uptight, serious and he seemed to strive off of the 'Clichéd Scientists for Dummies'. He looked so crestfallen too when his design was deemed too outrageous that she had half a mind to whack him on the head and another half to hug him. Once again, she had to lift his spirits. If that wasn't little brother material, she didn't know what was. The fact he was older than her just made it even more hilarious.

She barely started training the three elite astronauts assigned to the project – three? When they asked them to make six seats? – that the fourth member was introduced to the team. At first, she once again asked them if they weren't out of their minds, shocking Li in the process.

Hirasaka Kayuki, Japanese like her. A classic mysterious beauty, probably trying to make an impression in that flashy kimono. So they were all shocked when she topped everyone, grown men and all. In fact, it was almost superhuman. Was she some sort of Yōkai, a supernatural spirit from her country's folklore?

If alien invaders really were threatening their planet, she didn't think the idea was so farfetched. But no, apparently, she was as human as her and Li. Still, she must've had big connections, because she was allowed to come and go as she pleased, even to places where Nazuna herself was forbidden from entry. Once, she was curious and checked her file, but it had been sealed. No surprise there.

The two other passengers were still elusive. But the work sometimes got so tedious that she didn't have time to think about it. After a couple of years, at another of the Kayuki girl's visit, she finally managed the guts to ask. She can't say the answer surprised her, yet it did at the same time.

Vampires? What the heck? And she said it so matter-of-factly, as if she already ought to have known! Well, if they told her those things, then maybe she would've. Stupid higher ups that expected them to work in perfect ignorance and be happy with it. When she asked for confirmation, she got rebuked, so she just shut up and watched. No need to tell Li, he'd freak out again. The man tended to overreact. Besides, it could still be the girl making fun of her. If that was the case, she didn't want to be laughed at by the others.

Another year passed. Another boring year, when she asked herself more than once if it wasn't really just some lunatic fantasy from some government or other. And then, finally, one night, the sky fell.

**~To be continued~**

_Aaaaand that's it for the introduction. I won't be begging for reviews. I'll simply be happy if people read it and enjoy it, especially since the fandom is so small for this manga. In the first place, I'm not even writing exclusively for others. I did this story for me. So the quantity of reviews probably won't move me. The quality, however, is a different story. I love when people tell me what they love and what they don't. I realize this story will not be as thrilling as some can be. Especially since it's a recap and not an original story. Moreover, the beginning IS boring. Even so, I'll hold on to it and won't be deterred even if I get flames. I can't promise you regular updates, but I can tell you it's not gonna take months._

_On one last note, I absolutely adore Strauss! He had such a sorrowful life, with only a short bout of happiness in it. Still, he chose where and how to die, but especially how to live, and he didn't waver once. And I believe he was happy when he finally passed on. May you be blessed by the moon in the afterlife, Akabara._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Vampire Juuji Kai (Record of a Fallen Vampire) is owned by Kyou Shirodaira (scenario) and Yuri Kimura (art). Japanese rights are to Square Enix, and English translation and dialogues are Viz Media's. The only thing I own is my set of the 9 volumes of the manga.

This happens in 4th volume of the manga.

**Chapter 02**

**~Expecting no hero~**

It happened the night of a crescent moon. She was in bed, so she didn't see the moment it happened. But some weren't, and they soon put the island in an uproar.

It was... eerie, to say the least. And not very elegant. They never showed them pictures of Big Mortar, but now she could understand why. They didn't want them to laugh at it. Her scientific mind automatically wondered how they took off from their home planet with this round form. But, however fascinating at first, watching this unmoving thing soon grew boring and she went back to sleep. After all, there was nothing she could do at the moment. Nobody important enough was at the island, so she couldn't glean for information.

Li was a little more down-to-earth (oh, the pun!) and couldn't seem to do the same. "What if they attacked?" he asked. They finally showed themselves, after all. Surely they meant to take action. "They told us they wouldn't before a year, silly," she reminded him.

He shook his head. "But Nazuna," he continued, "what if they lied?" "Then there's nothing we can do," she answered with a yawn. "Tsukiyomi's not completely finished, and we're still missing three crewpeople. If I'm to die tonight, I prefer it to happen when I'm well rested."

She could tell Li was – once again – startled at her carefree demeanor. She didn't let him respond, though, for she was already on her way. "You should get some sleep, too. You can bet tomorrow's gonna be busy." She didn't see his stunned face, but she could imagine it.

As she predicted, the island was practically a beehive by the next morning. She, like almost everyone, got up extra early. Even though she said all those things the night before, she was still concerned. She still refused to exchange rumors with everyone, going to Li instead. Unsurprisingly, he couldn't sleep very well and was up almost the same time as her. Both had a reasonable bed hair, but while Li made an effort to tame his, she certainly didn't.

As it turned out, they didn't end up having much to do. So Nazuna took it upon herself to drag Li to the roof to celebrate. The sky was clear and the weather perfect. Even better, the distributor at the cafeteria always had beer, and she particularly liked the Japanese one, on the principle that it came from home. Hey, maybe that could be an idea: order some other brands of alcohol in the near future. They were sure to have a few things to celebrate or, in the worst case scenario, to enjoy before the end.

"Ready?" she asked once they were installed, with all the beer she could buy. "Kampai!" They both hit their can of beer, and she gulped down hers with abandon.

Of course, there was always one party-pooper.

"Uh... uh... Nazuna..." Li stuttered, "Should we really be doing this?" With a content sound, she took the can off her lips and just had to comment on the taste. It had been quite a while since she drank Asahi beer, because it wasn't cheap.

"Course we should!" she said once her moment of joy ended. "Don't be so uptight! Medical's team on standby, and you've checked the programs, right, Li?" "Huh?" he responded quite idiotically. "Oh, yeah..." "Then drink up, sailor..." she interrupted him. "To the end of our long wait." She then pointed to the biggest spaceship – that was apparently a fake – which kind of looked like a moon in the daylight. "You'd drink to that?" he sweatdropped. But she merely grinned, and continued with a "Gotta drink to something!"

Reminiscing, she fiddled with her earring: "Three years ago... I came here, to help build a manned rocket. Haven't been able to talk to anyone outside since." How that was true for all of them, unfortunately. "Then we're told to build a rocket powerful enough to reach an alien ship hiding behind the moon. So often I thought it was all some lunatic fantasy..." Heh, that sure brought up some interesting memories. "I enjoy the work, but not being cooped up on the island." She stretched happily. The landscape was beautiful, but after seeing it for all this time, it lost its charm. So she was happy by the fact things could only go forward from now on. Especially since Tsukiyomi was mostly finished, and they had been getting more and more free time in the last months.

"Now the isolation will be over! We'll get to go home at last!" And see their families. Letters were one thing, but her parents and little brother missed her. And now that the aliens had shown themselves, surely they were in a frenzy. Probably like the whole world, who wasn't prepared like they had been.

Ever-serious Li interrupted her thoughts, though. "I think you may be getting ahead of yourself, Nazuna. The aliens mean to wipe out everyone on Earth. We'll all be gone within a year." "Don't be silly, Li," she admonished him, and couldn't resist the temptation to pat him. "Did you forget why we're here?" Taking a theatrical pose, she stood up, pointing at the spaceship. "We built Tsukiyomi! To destroy Big Mortar! And teach the Fio civilization not to mess with Earth!"

"But... Nazuna..." he interrupted her yet again. "Tsukiyomi's a manned craft with six seats, and no weapons." That crashed her enthusiasm. "Oh... Right..." She had been trying to avoid thinking about it, after all. But there was also something else: maybe it was time to tell Li about what she heard from Kayuki. He didn't know yet. That could reassure him now, instead of spooking him. God knew the aliens were enough.

"I mean, sure..." Li resumed while taking a sip – that guy sure didn't know how to drink properly, even after all those times she tried to teach him. Such a lightweight! She was already at her fourth can, and he was only on his second! "Tsukiyomi is way more advanced than any other manned rocket." He took another sip. "But we could only enable it to take a crew of six around the moon and back. There's no way it could fight." His face tensed, and he crunched his can in his nervosity. "Ramming would barely dent that alien ship. Stuffing Tsukiyomi with a hundred nuclear bombs still wouldn't amount to more than a kick in the shins."

Why did guys always had to relate everything to their male parts? She leaned against the rail silently debating her words.

"...they creep me out."

Li lifted his head, looking at her quizzically. "Who?" She turned towards him: "Those six crewpeople," she elaborated. "I've checked them out, trained them... Three are elite astronauts from around the world, which stands to reason." She handed Li another beer, while he looked at her expectantly. He suspected she knew more than him; after all, she did train them, as she said. He asked her a few times, but she always evaded the subject. Now, however, she finally indulged his curiosity: "But the forth one, Hirasaka Kayuki, is a classic mysterious beauty." "Beauty?" he repeated. "Oh, the girl in the kimono? I've seen her around. Hard to miss. She can come and go as she pleases, right?" "Uh-huh..." Nazuna noncommittally confirmed.

She took a deep breath. "A little slip of a thing, but she can take 20Gs without batting an eye. And she can run 15 kilometers an hour **for** an hour, in a low air pressure, low oxygen environment like the top of Chonolungma." Tibet word for Everest. She picked it up from another worker here.

As she expected, Li looked positively creeped out. "...Is she really human?" "Beats me." Although she said she was. "Her personal data's been kept sealed."

Her coworker and friend turned his head towards the Big Mortar's illusion, pensive. "But... even a super-girl on board won't change the odds any." "True enough," she admitted, "but the other two are the real ciphers." The guy desperately wanted a savior, like in the comics or manga or manhua, because when he said: "Say, maybe they're Earth's ultimate weapons!" she was strongly reminded of that. "Well... I asked Kayuki once if she knew who they really were. And this, is what she said..." He gulped, and she paused for a second, remembering the words and their signification.

"_You didn't know? They're vampires." And then the girl had the nerve to just continue on her merry way, as if she didn't just let a bomb off. Nazuna could only stare at her back, shocked. First aliens, now vampires? Where was the world going to? Or maybe it'd just been twisted from the beginning._

She only repeated the girl's words, though. Li made a face, as if he thought she was making fun of him, but when she kept her serious demeanor, he realized she wasn't making things up this time. "Vampires?" he echoed. "Swear to god," she repeated.

"Man..." he signed. "This is getting really weird. I feel like I'm in a bad sci-fi novel." "Ah, but reality can be weirder than the best of fictions, don't you think so?" she asked, her usual spirit returning. "Just be careful not to get bitten. You'd make a lousy vampire, way too nerdy." He looked positively horrified at the thought. She laughed out loud.

Two days passed, during which they prepared the field for the arrival of their future guests. As soon as one of the so-called vampires arrived, he would start training. Apparently, it was a couple, but only the man would come for now. Accompanied by Kayuki. She really looked forward to that, because not only would she be more active – boredom for her meant bad news for Li's health, according to the latter – but she could also try to glean answers out of either of them.

So when she heard the helicopter was finally arriving, she dragged Li again, though this time he didn't even fuss. Ha, so he _was_ curious! It was nighttime, obviously, but the heliport was well-lighted. Her binoculars worked well enough.

What she saw wasn't at all was she was expecting. Instead of a black-haired, red-eyed Dracula-wannabe in Victorian clothes, with a cruel face and scary glare, the one who got down after Kayuki was a blue-haired pretty boy, with delicate features and a smooth face. The only thing vampire-ey about him was his cape, with a bat-like clip. He exuded a mysterious aura though, and just looking at him, she could tell he wasn't ordinary.

"Is that a vampire?" asked Li, interrupting her mental revision of the cliché. Since she firmly held on to the binoculars, refusing his wimpy friend a glance, she couldn't refuse answering him. So she commented that if there was such a thing, he looked the part. As weird as that sounded, especially after her mental image was just crushed, that was true. "But he seems kinda frail," she couldn't help commenting.

To her astonishment, the newcomer looked directly at her, as if he heard her. His face looked as surprise as it could probably get, reinforcing the thought. But that was impossible, right? Maybe he just caught a reflection of the lenses and that attracted his attention.

That thought was soon crushed as he made a standard Japanese V-sign – he couldn't have recognized her origins without hearing her, although slight, accent – immediately followed by the explosion of the lenses. More than a little startled, she yelped while hastily drawing back. "The lenses broke!" stated oh-so-helpfully Li. "But how?"

Yes, how indeed. The man turned as if nothing noteworthy happened, preceding Kayuki towards the facilities with an unreadable face. Not that she could've been able to decipher it from that far anyway. Not like he could.

"Wow. Very promising indeed," She muttered to herself.

And the first thing she did when actually meeting him was demand a new pair of binoculars. What did that say about her?

**~To be continued~**

_Well, this was a little longer than the last one. I was worried, because the first chapter/prologue was kinda short. The interesting things will start next chapter, though I had fun writing the last part. Btw, don't look too far at this chapter's title. I just thought that in their point of view, a vampire wouldn't be seen as a hero. But since he's coming to save them, he's not a villain either._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Vampire Juuji Kai (Record of a Fallen Vampire) is owned by Kyou Shirodaira (scenario) and Yuri Kimura (art). Japanese rights are to Square Enix, and English translation and dialogues are Viz Media's. The only thing I own is my set of the 9 volumes of the manga.

This takes place in volumes 4 of the manga, between chapters 17 and 18.

**Chapter 03**

**~First meeting~**

The guy was a freaking _king_? And they didn't think of informing her until _after_ she'd embarrassed herself in front of him? Granted, it was kind of her fault, as she had a tendency to do that, but she never met anyone important enough (in her opinion) to feel the need to hold her tongue in.

Then again, she didn't appear to feel it with Rosered Akabara Strauss either. _He_ sure didn't seem to mind, so why should she?

It went like this: after his little stunt with her lenses, once the shock of it wore down, she was positively pissed. Why did he have to do that? She bought them especially to watch the sky for when the Fio revealed themselves, and he then waltzed in and broke them just because she made a small comment? Or was it to show off? It wasn't a question of money, as she made a lot here. No, it was mostly the timing, a question of civility, and the fact that since they were so isolated, they'd been hard to come by.

So, vampire or not, she had every intention to tell him exactly what she thought of his little stunt. Li tried to calm her down, without great success, following her like a lost puppy.

The area where he would be sleeping was off-limits, but she didn't have to wait long for the two superpowered being to appear. At soon as they did, she advanced purposely towards the seemingly inoffensive man.

"Ah, N-Nazuna!" stuttered Li. She ignored him.

"Hey, you!"

Kayuki turned her head in her direction, a little startled. She was behind him again, as if she was showing him respect – or just keeping an eye on him. Judging by how she stole a warning glance towards him, she guessed it was the latter.

Once she arrived in front of the man – vampire, whatever – she glared at him. He was a head taller than him, but his countenance seemed harmless enough.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You owe me a new pair of binoculars, buster!" In her peripheral vision, she saw Kayuki frown in confusion.

Now that she was near him, she took the time to detail him. Pants and a coat – surprisingly modern. He didn't wear his cape anymore, and she suspected he left it in his new room. He wore his hair – they were _blue_! was it natural or was he some sort of otaku? – a little longer than Li's, but they were less moppy. In fact, it almost looked like silk. He stood straight, like the military men she often saw around the island. Lastly, his eyes were a gentle lilac color. Eyes that were now watching her, a little flabbergasted.

"My apologies," he said. "I did not know these were so precious to you."

Now it was her turn to be dumbfounded. Firstly, by his language. Polite, regal, nothing like the rough men of nowadays. Secondly, by his admission. Well, as least he apologized.

"Excuse me, but what is this about?" interrupted a feminine voice.

Nazuna didn't especially get along with Kayuki, on the basis that she was like a doll, polite, gracious, almost haughty, and Nazuna was a loud mouth that acted on impulse most of the time. That wasn't to say they disliked each other. It's just that they didn't talk often when it wasn't related to training, because they didn't have anything to say. Plus, the fact she had authority here kind of worked to keep them apart.

But she was Japanese, like her. Sometimes, she even came up with news of her home country, and the scientist was grateful for that. That's why her glare at being interrupted was somehow less acidic than usual.

"Ah, I seemed to have upset this lady here," said the vampire, and Nazuna started at that – who called _her_ a lady? "But I can easily get you a new pair, miss."

"Ah... that would be appreciated," she responded automatically, almost sheepishly. Why would she be sheepish, anyway? She wasn't the one at fault! He smiled, and she took the time to observe him once more. Hmm, maybe he wasn't such a douchebag, after all.

That's when she noticed the glare Kayuki sent the vampire. There were definite sparks, and she briefly wondered if the young woman was jealous. But she dismissed the idea when she sensed the hostility was aimed at him, not her.

She seemed to notice her scrutiny, for she stopped glaring and signed. "Maybe I should introduce yourself, since you will be working together from now on. Akabara, this is Nazuna, hum..." she stopped, contemplative. "Hagi," the older woman offered. Kayuki nodded. "Nazuna Hagi, who will train you in preparation of your trip in space. And I'm sorry, but I seem to have forgotten your friend's name."

Friend? Oh, that's right, Li was still there. She almost forgot about him. Turning around, she caught him fidgeting indecisively. With a pointed look, she signaled for him to come closer. He did, but stayed near her. After it seemed obvious he wasn't going to talk, she elbowed him. "Ah, I'm Li Honhuei. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Hagi-san, Honhuei-xiānshēng," he greeted them, and she was impressed in spite of herself that his pronunciation was perfect. "I am Rosered Strauss. I look forward working with you two."

Nazuna perked up. Kayuki called him Akabara, but then again, it meant red rose – or in that case, Rosered – in Japanese. Still, she was wondering. So she asked. But first... "Don't call me by my last name, everyone here calls me Nazuna. You can do the same for him" she pointed at Li "he won't mind. So, care to answer a question? Why does Kayuki call you Akabara? Were you in Japan, using that name?"

"I call him that because that's his name too," answered Kayuki before he could. "Rosered 'Akabara' Strauss, Vampire King."

Two sets of jaw dropped.

"Of course," continued the Japanese girl, unperturbed, "that was before he abandoned his kingdom a millennia ago, all for the sake of revenge. His people were left to fend on their own, and the remaining dhampires strived to kill him."

That woman! Although the scientist was happy to get some enlightenment, she didn't have to say it so bluntly! Nazuna risked a glance towards the so-called vampire king, hoping her earlier tirade didn't do too much damage if he was as vengeful as to have an entire kingdom – or what was apparently left of it – pursue him relentlessly.

Then again, he wouldn't have apologized if she had angered him. Looking at him, he seemed kind of sad. Or maybe it was just her imagination. He didn't react to the harsh words, in any case. Nor did he refute them. Still, she figured she was fine to continue as she was.

"Oh? Tell me aaaaaaall about it," she cat-smiled. "I'm very curious now."

Kayuki signed. "Maybe later. For now, we have to start the training immediately. I was led to understand that there are many things to be done with his equipment. Time is of the essence, so let us not waste any more time." With that, she started walking away. "I will show him the grounds. When I am done, I will take him to the training center. I expect you there by then."

Huh. She broached the subject, and now she evaded it? That had the merit to be peculiar. Maybe she expected her to cower in fear after hearing that? Then again, she thought, looking at her friend, Li seemed spooked enough.

Akabara bid them farewell before following suit. Soon after, she saw that the girl in kimono had resumed her previous position, behind him. Nazuna watched them go, until they rounded a corner and she couldn't see them anymore.

So. A vampire king, was it? Or in that case, former. That made sense, considering his regal way and his strong presence. He was also old, at least a millennia, according to Kayuki. But that wasn't much to go on. She didn't even know his abilities. Though soon, they'd be fixed. Training would tell her a lot. In the meantime, she would pump out whatever information she could about him and the other female vampire. They were the crux of Operation Over Moon, after all, humanity's last hope. She had to know if they were reliable.

The fact she was curious was just part of it, of course.

**~To be continued~**

_I always wondered why Akabara broke those lenses. So I had Nazuna think up of a few theories. Of course, he'd apologize, wouldn't expect anything else from him._

_This first meet was entirely from my imagination. I couldn't imagine Nazuna doing anything else than blast him at one point or another. And she got her first glimpse of Strauss' past. Because she and Li seemed to know things, but we never saw how, when and by whom they were told. So there you go, one possibility, and an amusing one at that. I tried to avoid any OOCness, but do tell me if you felt like there was some._

_Xiānshēng is like -san, but for the Chinese and only for men. Had to wiki it, so if I'm wrong, do tell me. Accents and names betrayed Nazuna and Li's origins, and Strauss has got to know every language known and even forgotten to mankind, so it stands to reason (in my mind) that he'd use the proper honorifics. Of course, since he called them by their names in the manga, I had Nazuna take care of that tidbit._

_Lastly, my chapters apparently seem to want to keep that length. Oh well, that makes for faster updates. Until the next time then. At least I know I have had at least one reader, even though he/she didn't review. Thus, I'm left on my own to figure out if the story is believable or not. But since I'm a hard-core fan, I think I'm not doing so badly._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Vampire Juuji Kai (Record of a Fallen Vampire) is owned by Kyou Shirodaira (scenario) and Yuri Kimura (art). Japanese rights are to Square Enix, and English translation and dialogues are Viz Media's. The only thing I own is my set of the 9 volumes of the manga.

This takes place in volumes 4 of the manga, between chapters 17 and 18.

**Chapter 04**

**~Back history~**

The training was... interesting, to say the least. Very educative.

The first part was a psychological assessment. First, there was the interview. Do you know why you're here. Have you ever fought enemies you knew nothing of. Have you ever flown – that answer was met with skepticism from the evaluators, even though they were told of the situation beforehand. When they arrived to background, he merely smiled and stated things that couldn't be true – except they had to be.

After the biggest silence Nazuna ever heard from any of them, they finally resumed, albeit shakily. She didn't talk, merely observed, but she was fascinated. They then tried to evaluate his IQ. He easily aced the tests, going to heights that weren't even in the charts. No one was that intelligent... until him. Then again, since he lived more than a millennia, that shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Personality left the psychologists baffled, because they couldn't seem to figure him out. Either he was very sly, or completely nuts – and Nazuna would bet her job on the former. Especially seeing the frown Kayuki openly displayed. In fact, Akabara even seemed to have determined the evaluator's status more than they did him. Behavior came out outstanding, but at that point, she wasn't surprised anymore. If she hadn't been told he used to be a king, she almost could've pegged him as one, or at least someone who once help great power, because with those abilities, he couldn't have been anything but. Especially after hearing his resolutions to some of the simulative situations he was provided with. Analytics, self-control, decision-making, multi-tasking, memory, everything was top-notch, and then more.

She couldn't wait to see the physical checks.

Kayuki was like his shadow, following him everywhere and listening raptly to anything he said or did. Since the evaluation took nearly all night, after that it was time for Akabara to withdraw for the day. But she was still curious, so she followed them.

Kayuki has resumed her place behind him, but she now knew why – she was there to keep him in check, being the only one who could kill him.

"So, was it all true, what you said?" she asked as soon as she got by his side. They resumed walking, and she continued : "Y'know, that you became the youngest king ever, then let your kingdom destroy itself after your queen unleashed her powers and nearly obliterated it, all that because you wanted to kill her for murdering your previous human wife and unborn child?"

Kayuki, whom she couldn't see, growled her name in warning. "What? Just curious," she pointed out. He barely touched the subject, saying the bare minimum and then letting it end at that. That was just asking to be questioned!

"Yes, Nazuna," he answered calmly, not what you'd expect from one who was supposed to have vowed eternal revenge. "And since she was sealed away by the humans, I spent the last thousand years searching for her seal."

"Man, you have one heck of a will. I sure wouldn't have been able to hold even a decennia, let alone all those century. Not that I wouldn't be all wrinkled and six feet under, but that's not your case. You still look twenty, you bastard!" she joked.

Mutters could be heard from behind, and she thought she caught something about blunt scientists. She ignored it.

Eventually, she had to let them walk off to the building that would now be his to enjoy – or remain trapped in, however you chose to put it. Night creatures – it seemed that much was true about vampires. After some quick notes and adjustments that were necessary for her team, she started hunting Kayuki, determined to have some facts before physical training the next night. After all, she couldn't just operate blindly anymore now that her new trainee had arrived. Even if the data has been sealed, she still had had a file on the girl. They ought to send her of him, too. Secrecy her butt, how did they expect her to sufficiently train him to save mankind if she lacked vital information?

Lo and behold, it seemed the kimono girl had anticipated her bidding. Wordlessly, she sent her a file, way too thin, but then again, that was better than nothing.

So she spent most of her day reading and working. Part of the training could be disregarded in regards to what they learned, but most of it would be carried out as intended. Her job as supervisor and main trainer was to make a schedule. It kept her most of the day, and when she finally went to bed she was exhausted.

Not to say she wasn't satisfied with her night. She felt fulfilled like she hadn't in some time. Also, she learned a lot.

His file disclosed a summary of the events of so long ago, as well as some physical attributes and mentions of his magic, which she was very eager to test. There was also a file on his Queen, although it was even thinner than his. No name, no picture, not even a description. Just the fact she was called the Corrosive Moon and that her out of control magic destroyed most of the kingdom of vampires and its inhabitants ages ago. It was rumored she was even stronger than him. Interestingly enough, for over a millennia, everyone believed he was on a quest for love. It was what was written, but Kayuki said that they only learned of the truth a few days ago, so they hadn't had time to adjust the report.

She doubted it was Akabara who told them. He seemed too secretive to suddenly blurt out such a personal detail like this one. One of the dhampires pursuing him must've known and let it out to Kayuki. Y'know, since they needed both vampires, and the fact he was out for revenge compromised a little – just a tiny itty bit – the original plan. If that was the case, that sure was a nice guy or gal, helping them with this knowledge. But then again, who wouldn't want to beat the Fio, who threatened to take over the planet?

Well. Things sure were getting interesting. Even if Akabara seemed imperturbable and secretive, she doubted she'd be bored anytime soon. Even baring the fact she suddenly had a gigantic workload.

Yup, couldn't wait until next night, she thought while finally falling asleep, dreaming of alien ships and flashes of magic attacks.

**~To be continued~**

_Told you not to expect regular updates. What a week! And what a weekend! Anyway, you're not interested about my personal life. You're interested in next chapter, aren't you?_

_This story needed more research than I expected. Didn't expect to have to search astronaut training and psychological testing. It's not so different from writing a novel in the end, except you don't have to work on the characters and scenario (in this case anyway)._

_I thought about having her read a folder on the dhampires, and then realized they wouldn't bother making one for her, since the dhampires aren't even passengers. So I kept to the king and queen and let her come to her own conclusions. Of course, even though she's slightly off the track for the reasoning behind that slip, she got it right that it was one dhampire._

_I couldn't seem to find a place to put it, but she doesn't know about the memory transfer from one Black Swan to the next, or even that there has been several hosts. She's on a need-to-know basis, so she only knows Kayuki can kill him. Don't expect her to just sit on that one, though!_

_Well, that's mostly it. I felt like it was kind of boring and not much happened this time, but this was a transition chapter. I'll try not to make the next one about just the physical training._


End file.
